


Achilles' Infirmary

by SoullessSpirit



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec is a med-student, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternative Universe - Hotel Artemis, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Magnus Bane, Blood and Injury, Jace and Izzy rob banks, M/M, Magnus is a criminal, and a part time doctor for delinquents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:28:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22038565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoullessSpirit/pseuds/SoullessSpirit
Summary: Jace and Izzy live for danger, the rush of doing something you shouldn't, and they always manage to drag Alec into their mess as well. What began as patching up his siblings after a job gone wrong had somehow turned into Alec geting paid insane amounts of money to treat the injuries of his siblings' criminal 'friends'. To keep himself safe in this dangerous business, Alec has made up a few rules, and he's never broken a single one.That is, until a bloodied stranger shows up in front of Alec's door, and Alec decides to let him in.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 84
Kudos: 325





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Just letting you all know that this is a book based Malec fic, so a quick heads up for fans of the TV-show: Alec has blue eyes and is a few inches shorter than Magnus here. Other than that, English isn't my native language, so please let me know about any glaring mistakes if you see them!
> 
> In case anyone was wondering, Hotel Artemis is a film from 2018. I wouldn't necessarily recommend watching it (it was fine but not super good or anything), but it had this really cool concept of a hospital specifically for criminals, which was my inspiration for this fic.
> 
> I've written one other fic, so I'm still pretty new to the writing world, but I hope you'll have a good time reading this story!
> 
> I (tragically) don't own any of the awesome characters in this fic, Cassandra Clare does.

“You let me in right now, or I’ll force my way in and cut up your cute little face,” the guy said. He was clearly trying to come across as intimidating, forcing a deep, rough voice and looming against the gate, but the effect was ruined by his obvious pain and desperation. He was cradling his right arm to his chest, the fabric of his shirt drenched in blood from the bullet wound in his upper arm.

“Nope,” Alec said, “I don’t think I will. Now go away, or I’m calling the cops.”

“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to, pretty boy?”

Alec sighed. “No, I don’t, and that’s exactly the problem. I don’t know you and neither Jace nor Isabelle has mentioned you would be coming here. I don’t take in strangers; that’s the rule. You need to find yourself some other place to bleed out that isn’t my front door. Come on, move it.”

“I’m Jonathan Morgenstern; I _own_ these streets.” The guy was seething, but he was the one needing Alec’s help, not the other way around. His threats were empty and he knew it.

“Good for you,” Alec said, and reached for his phone. Predictably, the guy’s eyes widened and he quickly stepped back.

“I’m going to fuck you up so bad,” the guy spat out, “You have no idea what I’m capable of.” As if to illustrate his point, he kicked the metal gate hard enough to make it rattle. Alec raised a single eyebrow. Finally realising that Alec wasn’t going to let him in, the guy sent one last hateful look his way before storming off into the night.

Alec watched him go, then closed the front door against the gate and walked back up the stairs to his apartment. He already had a patient, a half-cooked meal and a five-page essay waiting for him there, which was more than enough for one night. He really didn’t need the added weight of having to deal with an overconfident asshole on top of that.

His apartment was on the third floor and though it wasn’t exactly in a great area of the city, it was really big for a place in New York, let alone for a medical student. He had a kitchen, bathroom, living room, study, master bedroom with its own ensuite, and even three guestrooms. It should’ve been _way_ out of his price range, but Alec’s side job turned out to pay him a lot better than he’d thought it would. Apparently sought-after criminals were willing to spend heaps of money on medical care if it meant their names wouldn’t be visible on official records.

The girl sitting on Alec’s sofa didn’t seem to notice him as he walked in. Her eyes were glued to the screen of her laptop. Occasionally she would groan and press the heels of her hands against the sides of her head, before continuing with whatever she was working on.

“That’s really not helping the headaches, you know,” Alec said to the girl. He didn’t know her name; she hadn’t mentioned anything, and Alec hadn’t asked. As with most of the people that came here looking for Alec’s help, he knew very little about her. She was a friend of Jace, though Alec wasn’t sure if she was ‘just a friend’ or something more. Judging by the way Jace acted around her, his brother at least wanted it to be something more.

The girl sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I know, but I’ve got to get this finished today. I’d rather not experience the same ‘welcome’ again that got me here in the first place.”

She’d come knocking on Alec’s door about a week ago, badly bruised and bleeding. After examining her, Alec found she had a concussion as well. He’d cleaned the wounds, stitched up the worse ones and given her some Tylenol for the headaches. The past few days he’d mainly been making sure she slept well and drank a sufficient amount of water, but he also had to clean her wounds and check on them daily to make sure they didn’t get infected.

It took up quite some time, but then again, that’s what work tended to do. Even though there were risks involved, Alec was doing the thing he wanted to do, the thing he was good at: helping people. They might not be your typical upstanding citizens, but they were friends of his siblings, and Alec would do anything for the two of them. That’s how all of this had started in the first place: Alec running around after his little brother and sister, making sure they were okay. But just like everything involving the two of them, it had soon taken a more dangerous turn.

Jace and Izzy had always been more reckless and daring than Alec, but he was there for them to make sure things never got too bad. When they were younger, this had meant that Alec would often take the blame for things his siblings had done; when Izzy had broken a window or when Jace set the living room curtains on fire, it was Alec that got punished for it. 

Over the years his siblings' reckless behaviour had escalated, and taking the blame for their actions got such dire consequences that it was no longer an option. Instead, with his newfound medical knowledge, Alec made sure Jace and Izzy didn’t need to spend a fortune on hospital bills for their regular injuries. His brother and sister had gotten a taste for the excitement that came with not just doing something that you weren’t allowed to, but doing something that was downright illegal. It began with breaking and entering, stealing valuables from random homes, but soon that wasn’t enough anymore, and while Jace thought he could spice things up with a little arson, Isabelle wanted to go even further than before. Banks, grand villas with top-notch security systems: anything that screamed immense wealth and posed a challenge became their new target. With this new upgrade, Alec’s position became vital. It was no longer just the cost of going to a hospital that kept his siblings from going there; with these high-risk jobs the injuries got difficult to explain. A cut from crawling through a broken window wasn’t the same as a bullet wound from the gun of a security guard.

Alec would never charge his siblings anything, but when they started bringing friends over, he had to lay down some ground rules. They signified the start of Alec’s side job as a black-market doctor, and they hadn’t changed since then. There weren’t many of them, but they were strictly followed:

1) He only helped people he knew personally, or those who came recommended by either Jace or Isabelle.

2) No weapons inside.

3) No killing or maiming of other residents.

4) Prices were non-negotiable.

5) This was his place, and he had final authority over everything. He reserved the right to throw people out if they behaved rudely towards him or showed any other unwanted behaviour.

There was one other rule, but it was more common sense than anything else: _mind your own business._ If someone doesn’t give their name, you don’t ask. Alec needed some general details about how the injuries were sustained and if the patient was on any medication, but he didn’t pry any further. In return, his patients never demanded his name either. All that was known about Alec was that he could treat your injuries with discretion and that he was somehow related to Jace and Isabelle. That last part was important, because it helped to keep him safe. His siblings were pretty well known in the criminal world, and everyone knew that hurting them or their loved ones had severe consequences. After all, Jace had never lost his passion for fire, and he found increasingly creative ways to play with it. _Maybe that’s why he’s so fond of this one,_ Alec thought as he looked at the redhead sitting on his couch. She had a fierce passion burning inside of her akin to the flames that his brother liked so much. It made sense, now that Alec thought about it. 

He walked towards the kitchen to continue with the meal he’d been preparing before he was so rudely interrupted by the guy banging on his front door. The pasta he’d just drained was cold and so was the sauce. The vegetables were overcooked. Alec sighed and threw it all on a plate anyway. Now in a considerably worse mood, he grabbed his laptop and his sad excuse of a meal and threw himself down on the couch next to the girl to begin writing his essay.

About forty minutes had passed and Alec had written a spectacular total of three sentences when the girl put away her laptop and turned to him.

“I’m going back home tomorrow. I’ve got some stuff back there that I need to work on. Payment goes as usual I suppose?” she asked.

“Yeah, Izzy will let you know the price and Jace will come and collect it. Do me a favour and don’t forget to clean those wounds regularly. Some of them are quite deep and will take longer to heal, keep an eye on those.”

“I will. By the way, could you tell Jace that there is a delay with the delivery of his order? Some of the parts were held up at the airport.”

“Sure, I’ll let him know,” Alec said. From what he’d gathered, Alec was pretty sure the girl ran a business that forged official documents and delivered other contraband. According to Jace, she was one of the best in her field. _Maybe I should ask her for a fake passport,_ Alec wondered. It might come in handy in the future.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you—” Alec was interrupted by the shrill sound of his doorbell. 02:47 AM. No _sane_ person would drop by for a visit at this hour. He got up slowly and grabbed his switchblade on the way to the door. There was a chance that he’d have to face the friends of the guy he’d turned away earlier, and he’d rather have something to protect himself if things went south. He was tempted to just stay inside, but maybe one of his siblings was hurt and needed his help. Carefully he made his way downstairs. It had started to rain, and all Alec could hear was the sound of raindrops hitting the roof of the apartment entrance and the frantic beating of his heart. As he looked through the small glass panel in the front door, he spotted a lone figure slumped against the nearby fire escape. Alec couldn’t make out any features in the darkness, but even hunched like this the person looked tall. After double checking that there were no other people hiding nearby, Alec opened the door, but kept the gate shut.

The stranger looked up at the sound of the door opening, and with the light streaming from the doorway illuminating the guy’s face, Alec could finally make out his features. Alec was used to thick scars, bloody gashes and deep scowls, once beautiful faces turned hollow and sickly by drug abuse. After all, the people that ended up on his doorstep were there because they were injured badly enough to require (semi)professional attention (which didn’t tend to look good on anyone), and usually had a pretty rough lifestyle in general. He was used to people that looked like the definition of a drug deal gone wrong. He wasn’t used to _this._

Some people can put the bare minimum of effort into their appearance and still end up looking like a movie star. Some people are charismatic to the point that their very presence is so magnetic it feels inescapable. Some lucky bastards can even manage both, but there are very few who, on top of all that, do it without even trying. This guy hadn’t even said a word, was gravely injured, and Alec was mesmerised. He had the height and the sharp, symmetrical features you would find in a runway model, but there was a fine edge of danger that made Alec grateful for the metal gate separating the two of them. The guy was handsome in an intense kind of way that made it impossible to look anywhere else but at him. It made Alec very sure of a certain fact: he had never seen this guy before. If he had, he definitely would’ve remembered.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you,” Alec said. “I don’t know who you are, and my siblings haven’t mentioned anything.”

“My friend told me to go here, that you’d be able to help me,” the guy said. He was breathing heavily and seemed to be sagging against the metal railing of the fire escape more and more with each passing second. He looked ready to pass out. “My name is Magnus, I—” he let out a sharp hiss and clenched his teeth. The guy was in a bad state, that was something Alec was sure of. He wouldn’t be able to make it to a nearby hospital by himself even if he wanted to.

“Look, uhm, Magnus,” Alec said. “I’m sorry, I really am, but I’ve got these rules for a reason. I don’t know who your friend is or how they found my address, but—”

“Her name’s Catarina, she said she knows you.”

 _Wait, what?_ He did know Catarina. They had a few classes together, but Alec had never told her about his side job. When and how had she figured that out? Oh fuck, did other people know as well? Alec’s heart was beating fast and he began to feel a sense of panic clawing up his throat. Magnus was going to pass out if he didn’t get help soon. Alec needed to make a decision fast, or time would make it for him. Magnus had almost completely sagged down to the ground, leaving the metal bars of the fire escape coated in red. Yet, even though he looked to be in unbearable pain, he wasn’t giving up. Instead, he seemed to be fighting to stay conscious with everything he had.

Magnus looked up at Alec, his gold-green eyes staring straight into Alec’s blue ones. “Alexander…”

Alec cursed, threw open the gate and rushed out into the dark alley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I don't condone arson or theft, it's kind of rude.


	2. Chapter 2

Usually the thought of his younger brother brought about stress and a feeling of fond exasperation, but right now, as Alec was hauling a full-grown man up two flights of stairs, he was oddly grateful towards Jace for forcing Alec to go to the gym with him. Magnus was even taller than Alec, which hardly ever happened, and seemed to be made out of pure lean muscle, because even though he looked pretty slender, he wasn’t exactly light. Alec readjusted Magnus’ arm around his shoulder and continued to heave him up the stairs.

When Alec finally threw open the door to his apartment, he was greeted by a disturbed _‘Oh what the fuck’_ from the redhead still seated on his couch. Alec just waved her off and pulled Magnus into one of the guest rooms, which functioned as a makeshift operating room. He sat Magnus down on the large metal table and immediately set to work trying to figure out where the blood was coming from.

“I promise I won’t ask too many questions, but I need to know what happened in as much detail as you can give me, alright?” Alec asked as he gently tried to take off the leather jacket Magnus was wearing.

“I jumped out of a third storey window.”

Alec’s movements faltered for a second before he returned to his wits. “…Voluntary?”

“Well, I was getting shot at, but technically… Yeah.” Magnus had a deep voice that seemed to resonate in Alec’s ears for longer than it should. It was annoyingly distracting.

Once Alec had managed to get the jacket off, it was clear where the blood was coming from. There were dozens of glass shards lodged in Magnus’ back, and the originally grey shirt was stained deep red.

“Don’t lie to me,” Alec said.

“I don’t believe I did?”

“You didn’t jump out of a window; you went straight through it. That’s different.”

“Sure, I’ll keep it in mind for the next time,” Magnus said, looking at Alec with a crooked grin. He seemed to be doing better now that he was sitting down. He was still badly wounded and exhausted, but he was conscious and talking, and he certainly didn’t look like what Alec would expect from someone that had just dropped down three floors to hug the pavement.

“I can’t believe you didn’t break a single bone,” Alec said after he’d thoroughly inspected Magnus’ injuries. “You’re either the luckiest person I’ve ever met, or you fell from a kid’s playhouse.”

“Or maybe I’m just that good,” Magnus said. “Believe it or not, but there is a correct way to jump out of a window.”

Alec looked at him with his eyebrows raised. “One that leaves you with a back full of glass almost passed out in front of my door?” But he couldn’t deny that it was impressive. People had died from lesser falls.

Alec spent the next hour or so picking shards of glass from Magnus’ back, sterilising the cuts and stitching up the deeper ones. Apart from the wounds on his back, Magnus had intense bruising on his entire left side and back, a sprained ankle, and his side had been grazed by a bullet. It would take some time for him to fully recover, but considering the circumstances it could’ve been a lot worse.

After he’d finished dressing the wounds, Alec brought Magnus to one of the empty guest rooms. Since Magnus was unable to walk on his own, he had to rely on Alec for support, one arm slung across Alec’s shoulders and leaning heavily on him. Alec wasn’t used to being in such close proximity of someone he’d only just met, and it made him feel a little on edge. He almost let out a sigh of relief when they finally made it to the room, and Alec quickly sat Magnus down on the edge of the bed.

“Right,” Alec mumbled, feeling particularly tired and sorry for himself, “I still have to finish some stuff, so I’ll probably be up all night. Just shout if you need me for anything.” With that he dragged himself to the sofa to work on his damned essay. _‘The diabetic foot’_ wasn’t a pleasant topic on a good day; being sleep deprived and running on cheap instant cappuccino certainly didn’t make it any better. Having accepted the fact that he wasn’t going to get any shuteye until after his morning lecture, Alec wasted a few more minutes playing minesweeper before he finally reopened his nearly blanc Word document and started typing.

***

With the professor’s monotonous voice droning on, the warm room, and Alec’s exhausted state, it was a miracle he didn’t end up sleeping through the entire lecture. He’d hoped to talk to Catarina and ask her if she perhaps knew a guy named Magnus, but she hadn’t shown up, which was uncharacteristic of her. Alec thought about just texting her the question, but decided against it because he didn’t want there to be digital proof of that particular conversation, so in the end he just settled for a simple message asking her if she was okay.

Quickly packing up his things, Alec didn’t wait around after the lecture was finished and just headed straight home. He hadn’t been able to think about it last night because of all the stress and chaos, but he had basically left a stranger alone inside of his apartment without any supervision whatsoever. Alec wasn’t afraid of something getting stolen (even though it would be annoying, he didn’t own anything too expensive or rare that it would be a huge issue). The thing he was worried about was the possibility of Magnus finding information on his siblings that could be used against them. Everyone else that Alec had treated was a friend of either Jace or Izzy, and would never do anything to harm them. Magnus, though? Alec had no idea where his loyalties lied. The more Alec thought about it, the more worried he became. It wasn’t like him to act so recklessly and make such thoughtless decisions, especially not when it concerned his siblings. If Alec’s irresponsible behaviour got them hurt (or worse), he’d never forgive himself.

He spent the entire subway ride home overthinking the issue and fretting with the sleeves of his hoodie. As he was nearing his stop, Alec had managed to convince himself that Magnus was a psychopathic serial killer with a thirst for blood, or some kind of mafia boss who smoked cigars and was planning to place a hit on both of his siblings. Alec rushed out the second the doors opened, mumbling apologies as he pushed past the other passengers, and almost ran back to his apartment.

By the time he opened his front door Alec was fully prepared to fight Magnus to the death in order to protect Jace and Izzy, so it was a little anticlimactic to simply find him sprawled out on his stomach claiming the entire length of the sofa with his long limbs. He seemed to have been reading something on his phone, but his head had immediately turned towards the door when Alec opened it. The sudden attention was unnerving, and Alec had the ridiculous urge to just close the door again and leave. _God damnit Alec,_ he thought to himself, _this is your apartment, get a grip._ He was a little introverted, sure, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle basic social interactions.

He gave Magnus a kind of nod and went for a simple ‘hey’, but apparently he’d forgotten to unmute his vocal cords or something because what actually came out sounded more like a half-assed cough. He tried to play it of as an actual, fully intended cough by clearing his throat, which actually didn’t make it any better because honestly, who walks into a room only to announce their presence by choking on the content of their lungs?

“Hey,” Alec eventually managed to say. He tried to ignore the fact that one of the corners of Magnus’ mouth was now definitely a little higher than before.

“Hello Alexander,” Magnus said. He had a slight accent that Alec found difficult to place. It sounded vaguely British, but mixed with something else that he couldn’t identify. Whatever it was, it turned the name ‘Alexander’ into something obscene that should come with an 18+ label on it, and Alec really couldn’t cope with that.

“You can just call me Alec,” he said, “everyone does.” Magnus didn’t reply and merely looked at him like he was expecting something more. “You know, because it’s shorter,” Alec tried. The only response he got was a simple ‘hm’, as if Magnus was agreeing _‘yes, four letters is indeed shorter than nine, what an interesting observation’_. “Actually, most of my patients don’t even know my name, so if you could just refrain from using it—”

“In the company of others?” Magnus asked. “Of course, _Alexander_ , I understand.” He smirked, looking at Alec like he was daring him to object. Alec just sighed and began to unpack his bag; he knew a lost cause when he saw one.

He was about to lay one of his books on the table, only to realise that his hand was empty.

“Advanced Anatomy, huh,” Magnus said as he flipped through the book he had just yanked out of Alec’s hand, “I had a feeling you’d be a med-student like Cat.”

Alec was still staring at his hand that had been holding the book just a few seconds ago.

“Oh, sorry Magnus, of course you can take a look at that, don’t bother asking,” Alec muttered, still blankly staring at his empty hand.

Magnus snorted and handed the book back to him. The action required Magnus to use his back muscles and he let out a hiss of discomfort.

Alec laid the book on top of his other ones and sat down in the old lounge chair next to the window, pulling his legs up on the seat as well. The lack of sleep was catching up with him and Alec felt like he could’ve fallen asleep right then and there, if it weren’t for Magnus’ presence in the room with him. Some instinctual part of his brain recognised a threat underneath Magnus’ charming exterior, and Alec’s subconscious seemed to have the same rule as the videogames Jace liked to play: _you cannot sleep when enemies are nearby_. Alec supposed that was a good thing; He shouldn’t forget that he was dealing with a criminal of some sort.

“So, let me get this straight,” Magnus said, “you’re a student who runs an underground hospital on the side? Does it have a name?”

“Most people know it as ‘Achilles’ Infirmary’, because for obvious reasons I’d rather not use my actual name,”  
Alec said.

“Achilles, like the legendary Greek warrior?”

“Yeah,” Alec said, “I’d always loved the story as a kid. The concept of having a single weak spot that could be the end of you fascinated me. When I was eleven, I had a phase where I went around asking all of my classmates what their Achilles heel was. The answers were about as dumb as you’d imagine.”

Magnus laughed. “And what would be your proverbial Achilles heel then?”

“I have a lovely pair of siblings with a not so lovely taste for danger.” It was only after the words had left his lips that Alec realised this was something he really shouldn’t be sharing with an almost complete stranger. He cursed himself for letting the information slip, blaming it on his severe lack of sleep. It was really starting to become an issue if Alec couldn’t even manage to keep his mouth shut, especially considering the type of people he treated.

Magnus looked at him sceptically. “You say that like you expect me to believe that you don’t feel the exact same pull towards trouble as they do.”

“Because I don’t! I’d prefer to have nothing to do with anything illegal, but I can’t just leave my siblings alone when they need my help…” Alec trailed off. Why did he feel the need to explain himself to Magnus? It wasn’t like it mattered what the guy thought of him. Once Magnus had sufficiently recovered from his injuries he’d be out of Alec’s life, and Alec would probably never see him again. 

“If that’s really the case, why don’t you just ask them to stop?” Magnus asked.

“Would _you_ stop with whatever you do if someone just asked you nicely?” Alec sighed. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t tried to get them to leave the burglary behind. The problem is that they’re good at it and they love the thrill. I haven’t been able to come up with something that has the same benefits but lacks the illegal aspect.”

“That’s fair, I suppose I’m really not one to talk when it comes to leaving behind morally dubious practices.” A slight smile played around Magnus’ lips, but otherwise his face was completely blank and unreadable. Alec wondered what Magnus did that forced him to seek out Alec’s help instead of that of a regular doctor.

“Oh, by the way,” Magnus suddenly said, “I just remembered, one of your neighbours dropped by to hand over your mail.” Alec looked up at him so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash, but Magnus didn’t seem to notice. “Apparently someone threw it into the wrong mailbox. I’d like to think they either had terrible aim or thought you and the sweet old lady next door shared a striking resemblance.”

Alec huffed in annoyance, but he did relax a bit. Josie lived in the apartment beneath his and was truly harmless. Still, things could’ve gone very wrong if it had been any of the sketchier tenants with whom Alec shared the building.

“Next time, don’t open the door for anyone. I have more than enough stress in my life without having to worry about someone who’s practically a stranger inviting even more strangers into my apartment,” Alec grumbled. He was regretting letting Magnus in more and more with every passing hour.

Alec walked over to the table next to the door and indeed found a large white envelope laying there. His name and address were crudely written on it in red ink and twice underlined like the sender was trying to make a point. He opened it as he made his way back to the living room. He was about to throw himself back into his favourite chair but froze in place when he saw what was inside.

About a dozen pictures fell out of the envelope, and Alec was on each and every one of them: frowning at his too sweet coffee as he made his way to class, checking his phone whilst waiting at a red light, listening to music on the subway. Someone had followed him around for the entire day without Alec noticing their presence. _‘Next time a Morgenstern is at your door, you obey them’_ was written on one of the photos. The underlying threat was clear: they knew where he lived, worked and studied. Another wrong move on Alec’s part and he could expect a bullet to the back of his head.

Magnus looked at the envelope’s contents with that same unnervingly intense focus he’d had when Alec first walked through the door. “Alexander, what’s going on?”

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I seem to have gotten myself into some spectacularly deep shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, welcome back!!! I hope you had fun reading this chapter :) It took a little longer to upload because I had to rewrite some parts (they felt a little stilted), but I'm happy with how it turned out in the end.  
> In case any of you were wondering, Magnus wasn't talking out of his ass: there is actually a correct way to jump out of a window! It's called a PLF or parachute landing fall, and it's a pretty useful thing to learn if you have the time. You can read more about it [here](https://www.quora.com/How-did-it-feel-when-you-went-skydiving-for-the-first-time/answer/Charles-Sendicker?ch=10&share=11bcf10c&srid=hLX5z), but the general idea is this:  
> a. feet together, contact the ground with your toes  
> b. then, instantly begin to crumple to one side, sequentially contacting the ground with the calf of your leg, your thigh and hip, your upper torso and shoulder,  
> c. then throw your legs up and over and roll across your back to the opposite shoulder, and “slam” your opposite side (torso; legs) onto the ground.  
> So, do with that information whatever you want I guess??? I found it quite interesting :)


	3. Chapter 3

“No, Izzy, I _swear_ it’s not that bad… well, maybe a little bit, but I can handle it. You really don’t have to come over,” Alec said. He’d called his sister after he’d woken up that morning to let her know about the Morgenstern’s threat, and in Alec’s opinion she was making a bigger deal out of it than it was. He wasn’t sure how to convince her to just stay home and let Alec figure this out by himself. What he was sure about, however, was that if Izzy saw Magnus, she’d want a good reason why Alec had broken one of his most important rules. The problem was that he didn’t have one. He’d had no issue with sending people away before (it was a necessary precaution after all), and he had no idea how to explain the circumstances that made Magnus a different case. He’d briefly entertained the idea of kicking Magnus out to avoid conflict altogether, but Alec had Good MoralsTM and they screamed that he couldn’t do that to an injured person in his care.

“Hey, why don’t we just meet up at café Idris instead?” Alec suggested hopefully.

“And risk you getting shot? Absolutely not. Stay where you are, we’ll be there in about fifteen minutes,” Isabelle said.

“No, you can’t! I, uh…” Alec was raking his brain for an excuse his sister would buy, which was a lot more difficult than it sounded because Alec couldn’t lie for shit. He decided to stick as close to the truth as possible. “I’ve got a patient staying here at the moment, so I’ll just—”

“Oh, Clary won’t mind, I’m sure.”

It took Alec a few seconds to realise that Clary apparently was the redhead that had recently left his apartment. “No, it’s not her, she’s already gone,” Alec tried to tell his sister, but by that time she’d already hung up on him.

Alec checked the time on his phone. 8:24 AM, so it was still pretty early. He looked in the direction of the guest room where Magnus was sleeping. Magnus didn’t seem to be a morning person, and since his body needed a lot of rest to recover, maybe Alec could reassure his siblings and get them out of the door before Magnus woke up. That way he wouldn’t have to deal with answering any of the questions Jace and Izzy would undoubtedly have about the situation. The whole strategy was built on the assumption that Magnus would sleep through their entire visit, which was risky, but it was the best plan he could come up with right now, and it even had a decent chance of succeeding. Relatively satisfied, Alec threw himself down into his favourite chair and waited for his siblings to arrive.

It only took his brain a few minutes to begin worrying again. _What if Magnus wakes up earlier and walks in while Jace and Izzy are still here?_ Alec tried to ignore the thought, but it was of no use. He’d begun tapping an anxious rhythm on the arm rest when another thought popped into his head. According to his phone, he still had about five minutes.

Alec stood up and quietly made his way over to the bedroom Magnus was in. It used to be some sort of storage room before it got turned into a guestroom by the last tenant, which meant… 

Alec turned the key that stuck out of the door. A door that locked from the outside. Even if Magnus woke up earlier than expected, there was no risk of him accidentally meeting his siblings now. Alec wondered how his life had come to a point where he was locking a probable criminal in his spare bedroom. He decided it was better to just try not to think about it.

The doorbell rang for an obnoxious amount of time and Alec couldn’t help the way his lips pulled into a grin as he let his siblings in. He hadn’t seen Jace nor Izzy in a few days, and he’d missed them.

“He’s alive!” Jace announced as he threw an arm around Alec’s shoulders. Izzy just rolled her eyes but she was smiling too, kicking Alec in the shin as she walked past. Alec let out an indignant cry (because Isabelle wore these killer platforms with metal accents and that _hurt_ ) but her only reply was a mumbled _‘that was for making me worry’_. Alec just shook his head, some stray strands of hair falling in front of his eyes. It was getting a bit long, but he just couldn’t be bothered to get it cut, much to Izzy’s chagrin.

“Do you have something to eat?” Jace asked, “I’m starving.” Alec gestured towards the kitchen in a way that loosely translated to ‘go on and raid the fridge you idiot’. While his brother was busy doing just that, Alec followed Isabelle into the living room and sagged down onto the sofa next to her. He gave her a onceover out of habit, checking for any injuries or other signs of hurt. He couldn’t find any, but regardless something felt off about her. Her dark eyes that usually flashed with mischief and bad ideas now looked much more closed off and sombre.

“Are you doing okay?” Alec asked her. Something seemed to weigh on his little sister’s mind, and he wanted to lessen the load for her if he could.

Isabelle sighed, absentmindedly wrapping a strand of dark hair around her finger. It was quiet for a few seconds, the only sounds coming from Jace rummaging around in the kitchen.

“You wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for Jace and I doing what we do,” she said. “You’d be working on getting your degree, probably with a lot less stress than we’re making you deal with right now. I know how you worry and overthink stuff, and I feel bad for being another source of stress. I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

Alec immediately sat up, trying to catch his sister’s eyes so he could make her understand that this was _not_ her fault. “Izzy, _I_ chose to help you guys, you didn’t force me to do anything, okay? I just want you to be safe, and if I can help with that I will. Besides,” he added, trying to lighten the mood a little, “I’m still getting that degree, no matter what kind of stupid stunts the two of you pull.” It worked: Izzy snorted and hit him on the arm, already looking more at ease.

“The world could be ending and you’d still be worried about being behind on your lectures or something,” Isabelle said with a smile.

“I’m pretty sure those lectures are behind on Alec at this point,” Jace said in between bites of the grilled cheese sandwich he’d made himself. “I bet you have more real-life medical experience in your pinkie than your entire year combined.” He dropped down next to Alec and offered him a piece of his sandwich, shrugging and stuffing it in his own mouth when Alec shook his head. “On a more serious note: do you still have that envelope laying around?”

Alec nodded and reached under the table, pulling out the envelope and its rather disturbing contents. He handed it over to Jace, who inspected it with a frown. Isabelle rested her chin on Alec’s shoulder to get a good look at the different photo’s.

“Did you notice anyone following you?” Izzy asked. “Some of these seem to be taken from relatively close by.”

“I don’t think so,” Alec said. “I think I would’ve noticed if I saw the same person hanging around everywhere I went.”

“I don’t think it was just one person,” Jace said. “The Morgensterns aren’t a small gang by any means, I don’t doubt for a second that they have multiple people surveying you.”

“Have you guys had a run in with them before?” Alec asked.

Jace and Isabelle grinned and shared a look. “Oh, you have no idea…” Isabelle chuckled. “Remember when I told you about that pretentious mansion where Jace created a bonfire in the master bedroom?”

“You didn’t…” Alec said, and he couldn’t help the slightly exasperated tone of his voice. It was one thing to break into expensive buildings, but he wasn’t aware that his siblings were ravaging ones owned by presumably violent gang leaders.

Jace laughed and high-fived Izzy over Alec’s head. “God, you should’ve seen it Alec,” Jace said in a slightly dreamy voice, “that oaken bedframe lit right up.” Alec buried his face into his hands and groaned.

“Could you guys at least semi try to keep yourselves safe? You can claim I worry too much all you want, but I think I am justified in that considering all the shit the two of you get up to,” Alec said.

“Now you’re just underestimating me,” Jace said. “I’m far too skilled to get into any _real_ trouble.”

“I’ve had to drag you away—barely conscious—from fires you started yourself. _Multiple times_. You don’t get to claim you’re not a reckless idiot,” Alec said.

“I never said that. Being reckless is part of my charm,” Jace said with that crooked grin of his that seemed to attract girls like moths to a flame. He had the bad boy image down to a t, and he knew how to use it to his advantage. It worked on almost everyone, except for his own siblings.

“Are you done congratulating yourself?” Isabelle asked, looking unimpressed. “We’ve got actually important things to discuss.” She turned to face Alec. “We got quite some info on those guys when we prepared for the burglary. The Morgensterns are run by Valentine Morgenstern. Jonathan is his only son and the sole inheritor. He’s a daddy’s boy through and through and has a tendency to act like a spoiled brat, but don’t let that fool you: he actually does have enough braincells to be good at what he does. That and a complete lack of empathy.”

“And what does he do, exactly?” Alec asked a little hesitantly. He thought back to the day before yesterday, when he’d told the apparent heir of a rather well-known gang to stop getting blood on his doorstep. _‘You need to find yourself some other place to bleed out that isn’t my front door.’_ Yeah… speaking of reckless actions. Alec grimaced slightly.

“I’m not too sure of the details, but the general theme seems to be extracting information out of unwilling participants.” Alec gave his sister a slightly alarmed look. Isabelle only nodded, confirming his suspicions. _Torture. Fucking fantastic._ Alec wondered if he should leave out the information of who exactly he had sent away two nights ago. Jace and Izzy probably wouldn’t be as worried if they thought he’d merely insulted a member of the Morgenstern gang, not the bloody heir. Then again, it might be better to just let them know right now so there wouldn’t be any unpleasant surprises. He was about to tell them when out of nowhere Jace jumped up off the sofa.

“Who the _fuck_ are you,” Jace growled. He’d pulled out a knife and held it with practiced ease.

Alarmed, Alec looked over his shoulder, and his jaw dropped. Magnus stood behind them, his cat-like eyes focussed on Jace and the knife in his hand. It seemed like he’d been on his way to the kitchen when Jace had spotted him. His stance was slightly lowered and ready to attack at the slightest provocation. Judging by the calculated look in his eyes and the speed with which he had reacted to Jace Alec guessed that Magnus was at least a somewhat experienced fighter, and he knew for a fact that Jace was a bloody good one. Alec needed to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand and there’d be actual bloodshed.

“Jace, it’s fine,” Alec said as he got up from the sofa and placed himself between his brother and Magnus.

“You know him?” Jace’s voice was tense and he was still looking at Magnus, refusing to let him out of his sight.

“Yes, I told you guys I had a patient—”

“We knew _Clary_ was staying over. I have no idea who this is,” said Isabelle with a cold voice, looking at Magnus with narrowed eyes.

“She left yesterday morning. I tried to tell you earlier, but you hung up on me.” Alec sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Well. Izzy, Jace, this is Magnus. Magnus…” Alec trailed of as he looked back at Magnus. “How the hell did you- I locked the door!”

“Yeah,” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow, “what was up with that again?” Now that the threat of Jace stabbing him in the gut seemed to be averted, he’d straightened back up and crossed his arms.

Alec felt the heat in his face and he knew he was turning an interesting shade of red. He hadn’t really thought about explaining to Magnus why he was locked up in his guestroom.

“And to answer your question, I picked the lock,” Magnus said, levelling Alec with an unimpressed stare. He pointed a finger at himself. “Criminal, remember?”

Right.

“Why is he here?” Jace asked. He’d put the knife away but he still wasn’t letting Magnus out of his sight.

“I told you—”

“A patient, yes,” Jace said, his eyes boring into Magnus’, “but he doesn’t look that badly injured to me. Maybe it’s time for him to go.” The words sounded sharp and venomous.

“Not all injuries are visible, Jace.”

“If he can walk to the living room, he can walk out the door.”

“Maybe _I_ get to decide that, since he’s my patient and this is my apartment,” Alec said.

“See Jace,” Magnus said with a sharp grin that was all teeth, “no need to get so riled up.”

“I can _and will_ kick both of you out if you don’t stop bickering like a bunch of five-year olds. Magnus is still recovering so unless he keeps acting like a child, he’s staying here for the time being.” Alec looked at Jace, who muttered _‘fine’_ with as much spite as he could.

“Where were you going, anyway?” Isabelle asked. She clearly wasn’t too happy about the situation, but at least she wasn’t as outwardly hostile as Jace.

“I was going to make breakfast. Unlike blondie over there I actually have enough skills to make something a little more complicated than a sandwich.”

“Funny, I’m pretty sure Jace can make a better meal with just those two ingredients than you and your ‘complicated’ recipes ever could,” Alec said, his instinct flaring up to protect his brother against anything, no matter how small or insignificant.

Magnus turned his attention over to Alec, and he felt his mouth go dry as Magnus’ golden-green eyes bore into him. Magnus didn’t seem to take offence to his comment and merely looked amused, but Alec still felt like he was pinned in place, unable to move.

“We’ll see about that,” Magnus said, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Isabelle’s eyes were focussed on his retreating back and when she was sure he was out of earshot she turned to Alec.

“Not to undermine your judgement here, but don’t you think there is something off about the way he showed up right after you sent away that Morgenstern guy? It just seems a little too convenient for me.”

Alec shook himself out of the weird momentarily paralysis that had come over him. Still more than a little unnerved, he focussed his attention back on his sister. “That’s what I thought too, at first, but it doesn’t make sense when you put everything together. He can’t follow me around because I’d recognise him, and I’m out most of the time anyway, so that would be kind of useless. The Morgensterns clearly already have a number of people monitoring me, so sending yet another person to check on me seems a little overkill. Besides, he isn’t here for some minor injuries. He was in a pretty bad state when I let him in.”

“The Morgensterns have been known to do some risky things for intel, I don’t think injuring one of their own is off limits, to be honest,” Jace said.

Alec frowned and shook his head. “They would’ve shot him in the arm or something. Putting over a dozen glass shards into someone’s back feels too theatrical and unnecessary.”

“ _That’s_ what’s wrong with the guy?” Jace asked. “Damn, how’d he manage that?”

“Jumped out of a third storey window, ‘the right way’ according to him. He’s lucky that’s the extent of his injuries; it could’ve been a lot worse.”

“I don’t know Alec,” Isabelle said, “I just don’t trust him. I get what you’re saying, but even if he isn’t with the Morgensterns, that doesn’t automatically mean he’s on our side.”

“I don’t think he’s on anyone’s side but his own,” Alec agreed, “but I don’t think he’ll go out of his way to hurt me either. My plan is to help him recover and that will be the end of it.”

“Is that what you plan to do too when one of those Morgensterns shows up again?” Isabelle asked, “treat them and let them go?”

“No, I don’t want this to get out of hand. Taking in Magnus is already one stranger too many, I’m not trying to make a habit out of that.”

“They were pretty clear about the consequences of refusing them though.”

“I know, but let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that,” Alec said, but he didn’t sound all that confident, even to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Are you guys doing okay? I hope this update provided you with some entertainment. :) I wrote this chapter under the influence of a sugar high induced by those maoam pinballs, and I think I've seen the gods.


	4. Chapter 4

**You** _sent yesterday at 17:03_  
Didn’t see you at the lecture today, everything okay?

**Catarina L** _sent today at 18:25_  
Hey Alec, I’m alright! Thanks for checking in :)  
See you tomorrow after class? We can talk then

***

As Alec made his way through the crowd of chattering students he wondered if one of them was a member of the Morgensterns sent to keep an eye on him. The second he’d left his apartment he’d been plagued by a sense of paranoia, and the worst thing was that it wasn’t completely unfounded. There were people following him after all, that much was clear, but figuring out who they were seemed like an impossible task. There were about thirty people in this hallway alone, some hurrying to their next lecture, others catching up with their group of friends. Lots of unknown faces, all of them possible Morgenstern members. Alec was so preoccupied with his own train of thought that he startled and winced when he felt someone grab his arm.

“Damn, Alec, it’s just me,” Catarina said. Her white-blonde hair was twisted up into a bun with some strands poking out. She looked a little tired, purplish shadows just visible under her dark eyes, but apart from that she seemed to be doing fine.

“Sorry,” Alec said sheepishly, “I’m a little out of it.” He needed to calm down. This endless worrying was doing nothing except making him nervous and jittery.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Let’s go and get something to drink, preferably with a healthy dose of caffeine; that last class really sucked the life out of me.”

They ended up going to some sort of tea shop Catarina liked where they sold all kinds of complicated but delicious sounding beverages. Once they’d both gotten their drinks (a brown sugar bubble tea for Alec and some kind of rosemary blend for Catarina) they sat down at a table next to the window. The late afternoon sun bathed the whole place in warm yellow light, glinting off the copper plumbing that was left exposed to match the raw industrial vibe of the café. They talked about mundane things for a while: Alec listened to Catarina’s struggles finding a good spot for her internship and he got to complain about the ridiculous number of assignments that were due next week.

“That sucks, I’m sorry,” Catarina said. “If I’d known you were that busy, I wouldn’t have sent Magnus to your apartment. Actually,” she said, laughing, “never mind, that’s not true. I still would’ve, but at least I’d have felt a little bad about it.”

Alec smiled. “I appreciate the sentiment.” He hesitated for a second before asking the question that had been weighing on his mind ever since Magnus showed up on his doorstep. “How did you know?”

“Know what, your address? Alec, we’ve shared a cab before—”

“Not that, how did you know about what I do?”

“Oh, I found out gradually. I might not be in any sort of criminal circuit myself, but I hear a lot about it from Magnus. There were rumours going around saying that the infamous Nephilim duo had a third sibling who owned a private hospital. Though their descriptions seemed familiar – a girl with long, ink-black hair and equally dark eyes, and her brother who people called ‘the golden boy’ for his blond hair and tan skin – I couldn’t place them, so for a long time it was just a random story. Then, a few months back, Magnus told me he’d overheard someone referring to the two of them as ‘the Lightwoods’, and it clicked. Lightwood isn’t exactly a common name. I’d seen you talk to your siblings before, and they matched the descriptions of the Nephilim perfectly. A lot of things suddenly made much more sense: why your surgical skills were so freakishly good, or how you could afford your apartment.”

“Good to know there was a lot of coincidence involved. At least it isn’t so obvious that just anyone can find out, I guess?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Catarina grinned and took a sip of her tea. “I believe hanging out with criminals isn’t exactly a common activity for the rest of our peers, so the chance of someone else making the same leap as I did is very small.”

“I’m glad. Needless to say, it stressed me out a bit.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. How is Magnus doing? He’s been texting me again, which is a good sign, but he was more interested in asking about you than letting me know about his injuries.”

Alec wondered what Magnus had wanted to know. He couldn’t think of much that someone would find interesting about him. He imagined the way Magnus would be sprawled out on the sofa, phone in one hand, texting Cat something like _‘Is he usually this awkward, or is that a recent development?’_ Come to think of it, he’d rather not know and be spared the embarrassment.

“His injuries are healing well: no infections, luckily. However,” Alec added, rolling his eyes, “the bruising is pretty bad and he keeps putting weight on his ankle even though I’ve told him multiple times that he shouldn’t.”

Catarina laughed. “I know the struggle. He can be a real pain in the ass to care for. I hope he hasn’t given you too much trouble.”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Don’t forget I’ve had to live with Jace and Izzy for most of my life; I’m used to some shit.” Which was one hell of an understatement. Yet he had to admit that Magnus could unsettle him in a way that his siblings never did. There was something about how fast he could switch from his laisez-faire attitude to that intense, razor-sharp focus that made Alec’s hair stand on end. He’d be a fool to think that Magnus wasn’t aware (and probably in control) of everything going on around him, no matter how carefree he might act.

But Magnus being dangerous wasn’t news to Alec. There was a promise of violence that was hidden behind the veil of his charisma and cleverness that Alec had picked up on right from the start. No, what truly unsettled him wasn’t Magnus. It was the part of himself that was inexplicably and inescapably intrigued by him.

***

It was getting late. Alec could tell by the way the words and sentences of his book were starting to blur together into a confusing mess of letters that should be familiar to him but somehow weren’t. He was curled up in the armchair by the window with a book that had been on his TBR pile for far too long now. He’d been so busy lately that he hadn’t had time to read anything that wasn’t part of his coursework. It was good to finally have the night off and just relax. Magnus had claimed the sofa in his usual fashion and was reading one of Alec’s books that he’d randomly plucked from the bookshelf. _‘Without asking’_ , Alec had noted with a hint of annoyance, but much to his surprise, he found that Magnus’ presence overall wasn’t unwelcome.

_‘I should kick him out before I get used to it,’_ Alec thought to himself. He really shouldn’t be growing accustomed to the presence of a certified criminal, and yet here he was. Troubling, to say the least.

Alec pushed himself out of his chair before he could doze off in it. He didn’t want to deal with the stiff neck he’d have as a result upon waking up the next day. It had happened before on numerous occasions and it was never worth it. “I’m gonna get some sleep, and I suggest you to do the same,” he said, even though he knew Magnus would probably stay up till the early morning like he’d done the previous night.

“Hmm, you look like you need it,” Magnus replied without looking up from his book. “Goodnight Alexander.” As expected, he completely ignored Alec’s advice and made no sign of getting ready to go to bed himself. Alec just sighed and rolled his eyes. Hell, at least he could claim that he’d tried.

The thought of curling up in bed beneath the blankets and allowing sleep to pull him under sounded like heaven after the stress of the past few days. With his mind already halfway gone he put on his pyjamas and brushed his teeth, spending a few seconds just staring blankly at his reflection. Magnus was right: he looked like shit. There were bags under his eyes and his black shirt and hair only served to make him look even more pale than he already was, almost ghostly so. _‘Maybe I should get out more, soak up some sun,’_ he thought. _‘Might make me look more alive’._

He was shocked back into full awareness by the doorbell going off, shrill and piercing through the quiet haze that had surrounded him just seconds earlier. He swore and looked for his phone, finding it balanced perilously on the edge of the sink. There were no new notifications, just his lockscreen showing him that it was way too damn late for anyone to be paying him a casual visit. He made his way to the living room, ignoring Magnus’ questioning look, and looked out the window at the street below.

At first glance it seemed deserted, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the night he could make out three figures, one of them leaning heavily on the other two. Alec’s stomach dropped as he looked closer at them, trying to figure out if he recognised anyone. Neither Jace nor Izzy were among them, so that meant they could be part of the Morgensterns or just random people that had heard rumours about him. Alec decided he wasn’t going to find out which one it was. Opening doors to strangers had so far gotten him a death threat and a criminal living in his home, and he wasn’t too keen to be adding a third item to that list.

“Who are they?” came a low voice from right behind him. Alec nearly jumped out of his skin and immediately spun around to find Magnus standing in front of him, looking over his shoulder at the people outside.

_“What the fuck,_ Magnus?!” Alec hissed. “Don’t sneak up on me like that, you nearly scared me to death.” His heart was hammering inside his chest so loudly that he almost expected to be able to see it beating through his shirt. He hadn’t heard Magnus walk up to him at all, and he’d been standing so close that Alec had felt Magnus’ breath on his neck as he spoke. It was very disturbing how quietly he could move around when he wanted to. Any trace of the sleepiness that had overcome Alec earlier had been wiped away, leaving him wide awake and filled with anxiousness. “And stop putting weight on your ankle,” he snarled.

“I really don’t think that is the thing you should be worrying about right now,” Magnus said. He nodded towards the window and the people outside. “Are you going to let them in?”

As if on que the doorbell rang again, longer this time. The sound was beginning to grate on his nerves and Alec briefly entertained the fantasy of cutting the wires and silencing the wretched thing for good. As it rang for a third time his eyes fell upon the pair of kitchen scissors laying innocently on the table, and the temptation was almost unbearable. After a moment’s hesitation he decided against it and crouched down below the window so he couldn’t be seen from outside.

“I wasn’t planning to see to their friend,” Alec said with audible distaste, “and continually pressing that bell is not helping their case.”

“Understandable, it’s not exactly a pleasing sound,” Magnus said, sounding vaguely amused.

Someone yelled from the street below, their voice sharply nasal and so vastly different from Magnus’ that the contrast was jarring.

“We know you’re home, the fucking lights are on you moron!” They pressed the bell. Again. Alec gritted his teeth, but said nothing. “We warned you, Lightwood! You better open the door if you want to keep that pretty head on your shoulders.” Magnus laughed silently and mouthed ‘They think you’re cute!’ with a smirk. Alec sent him a death glare, motioning for him to get away from the window, but Magnus seemed unconcerned.

“You might want to reconsider letting them in, they sound awfully serious,” Magnus said, peering down at the alley below.

“I’m not planning to start working for the Morgensterns. If I let them in now, I’ll never get rid of them.”

“And if you don’t, they seem very adamant on cutting your head off. Any plans regarding the avoidance of said fate?”

Alec rubbed a hand across his face and groaned. “Stay with Jace or Izzy until it dies down, and if it doesn’t…” He trailed off. Then what? He couldn’t hide there forever. The reality of the situation was catching up with him, no longer willing to go ignored, and Alec was starting to panic. It seemed like there wasn’t enough air for him to breathe, but he forced himself to take a few slow, deep breaths, desperately trying to keep the panic at bay. Breathe in four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. _‘This is not the time to break down,’_ he thought to himself. _‘Get a grip.’_ He unclenched his fists, looking at the pale little crescents his nails had left in his palms, already turning red as the blood rushed back. “I’ll figure something out,” he said, more to convince himself than Magnus. There was no answer from Magnus, only more screamed threats and insults from below. Alec looked up and found Magnus staring back at him, looking a lot more serious than he had just a moment ago.

“I’m sure you will,” Magnus said softly, before turning around abruptly and pushing the window open. He stuck his head out of it and looked down, his elbows planted on the windowsill.

“Excuse me, could you please be so kind and _fuck off_? Mr Lightwood isn’t home so I recommend you to come back another time. That is,” Magnus added with a cruel smile, “if your friend is still alive at that point.” There was more yelling and swearing from the alley. “Standing around outside isn’t going to do him any good, I assure you. If you want him to live you should take him to the nearby hospital.”

“I swear to god you’ll regret this; we’ll be back, you dirty son of a—”

“Goodnight!” Magnus said cheerfully, and slammed the window shut. The shouting continued a bit longer and then died out as the Morgensterns left, no doubt begrudgingly hurrying to an actual hospital.

“I’ve just sealed my fate, haven’t I?” Alec asked no one in particular.

“Not at all. You’ve merely made a choice, and now it’s up to you how you plan to handle the consequences.” Magnus held out his hand and Alec accepted it, pulling himself back up on his feet.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t take in just anyone that showed up at his door, Alec always found it difficult to send them away. He was aware that most people who sought out his help were no saints—quite the opposite—but guilt would still gnaw at him until he felt raw and strung out. In the end they were all just people, and Alec felt an obligation to help them. 

“I do hope he makes it.”

“He will,” Magnus stated with a confidence that Alec envied. He wished he could be so sure, not just of the man’s survival, but of himself. It would bring a sense of calm and security to his restless mind that he wasn’t usually blessed with. Now that the adrenalin had worn off Alec was left exhausted, and he could only hope his troubles wouldn’t follow him into his dreams. He sighed, looking at the now empty alley and desperately trying to ignore the dark stains on the ground.

“I’m going to bed before I pass out right here and now,” Alec said. His limbs were heavy and his eyes kept falling shut. “Goodnight.” He’d just left the living room when Magnus called out to him.

“Alexander, could you do me a favour?”

“Uhm, sure?”

“Don’t get yourself killed.” He grinned, mischief gleaming off the gold flecks in his eyes. “It would be such a waste.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, it's the long awaited update! How are you all doing? Getting started this year was a bit of a hassle, don't you think? Now that I've found my rythmn, chapter updates should be a bit more frequent, and I hope that adds a little bit of joy to your lives haha
> 
> Thank you all so much for the kudos and support!!! I love reading through the comments, they really make my day <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hy there, I hope you're all doing well!  
> Writing this chapter was a lot of fun: the perfect mix of Alec being done with everything, some violence, and Magnus being Magnus.  
> All in all just a bloody good time if you ask me

Alec woke up late, squinting against the sunlight streaming into his room. He didn’t have any classes today, so he allowed himself to close his eyes again for a bit, sinking deeper into the comfort of the soft sheets and pillows. For once he hadn’t woken up tired and desperately wanting to catch just a few more minutes of rest; he’d slept surprisingly well last night. He’d gone to bed, head filled with the events of the day, and he’d anticipated a night full of tossing and turning and little to no sleep, but apparently he’d been too exhausted even for his worries to keep him up this time.

He just laid there for a while, listening to the sounds of the city. Instead of the sweet chirping of birds or some other calming noises, New York was always filled with cars honking and people yelling. It sounded like home. It was home. There was something freeing about the idea that everyone was busy with their own lives, and no one cared what some random stranger was doing. Speaking of strangers…

Alec sighed and sat up. Sending away those Morgensterns yesterday was going to have consequences, and he should deal with them before they could become too big of a problem. It wouldn’t be long before the news reached Jonathan, and then all Hell would break loose. Laying low seemed like the best course of action to avoid any big confrontations. Jace and Izzy owned a couch that practically had Alec’s name on it, so finding a place to stay wouldn’t be an issue. However, he’d have to leave soon if he wanted to avoid the Morgensterns catching on and tailing him to his siblings’ apartment.

He looked around for his phone to text Jace and Izzy that he would be staying with them for a while, but he couldn’t find it. That wasn’t all that surprising though: his room was a mess. Loose papers were strewn across every available surface, piles of books had migrated from his bookcase onto the floor, and there were so many dirty clothes covering the chair in front of his desk that it resembled a modern art installation. He looked around for a bag and began to throw in the stuff he’d need to prepare for his classes, as well as some clothes and other necessities.

He’d have to figure out what to do with Magnus. There was no space for a fourth person in Jace and Izzy’s apartment, but Alec could hardly leave him alone when he was still injured and at risk for infections. Maybe he could ask Catarina if Magnus could stay with her? She’d probably be fine with it, but Alec wouldn’t be able to ask her until he’d found his _damn phone_. He was sure he’d put it down somewhere in his room. Then again, he’d been beyond exhausted last night and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d misplaced the thing.

He wasn’t able to find it in the living room and he hadn’t left it in the bathroom either. Alec was beginning to get nervous. He still had some time left before he had to leave, but he needed to find his phone and at the very least call Cat before he could lock the door behind him. He checked his bedroom again (nothing), and as a last-ditch effort tried the kitchen, even though he knew he hadn’t been in there.

Right there on the counter, on top of a torn off piece of paper, laid his phone. Definitely not where he’d left it.

Alec frowned and pocketed the thing before taking a look at the note. If it weren’t for the fact that the paper was clearly ripped out of a modern ruled notebook, Alec would’ve thought it was a prop from some historical film. The note was written in pretentious cursive with unnecessary flourish, and Alec could guess who had left the note before he’d even read the first word.

_Alexander,_  
_I have some unfinished business that needs taking care of, so I’m afraid you’ll have to live without my presence from now on. A tragedy, I know, but I’m sure you’ll survive._  
_Thanks for keeping me from bleeding out, and I hope you’ll keep your head out of the Morgenstern’s hands,_  
_Magnus_

_PS, I took the liberty of adding my (real) number to your contacts. It’s a privilege not many people can boast of ;)_

Alec took out his phone and looked through his contacts. There weren’t that many, since he only really saved the ones from close friends and family, so it was easy to spot the one that hadn’t been there before. Alec looked at the brand-new number that simply said: _Magnus ;)_. No last name. He stared at it for a couple more seconds, and then called Catarina instead.

“Hi Alec, everything okay?”

“Your friend left my apartment—still injured mind you—to go take care of ‘unfinished business’ and he stole my phone to put his number in it. Is this normal behaviour or should I be concerned?”

“No, that sounds exactly like something Magnus would do,” Catarina said, laughing. “Knowing him, he’ll be fine, and if anything does go wrong, I’m sure I’ll hear from him. Please tell me Magnus at least thanked you before he left?”

“Hmm, sure he did: ‘Thanks for keeping me from bleeding out’ written on a scrap of paper. I’m very touched.”

Catarina groaned into the receiver. “He’s horrible. Really though, thanks for taking care of his injuries while I was out of town. I’ve got to go or else I’ll be late for class, but charge him double for me, will you?”

Alec laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He hung up, planning to leave now that the most pressing matters had been dealt with. He looked around for some kind of weapon he could take with him in case things turned south. His eyes fell on the bow and quiver full of arrows that he kept in his living room. He’d taken lessons when he was younger and turned out to be a great shot, even winning most of the competitions his parents had signed him up for. His skill with the bow was one of the few things that he was actually proud of. In the end he decided against bringing it along, because if he was going to be attacked by the Morgensterns it would undoubtedly be close combat, in which case his bow wouldn’t be of much use. He’d be more likely to damage it than anything. He picked up his switchblade instead, throwing it into his bag and doing one final sweep of the room to check if he missed anything.

Alec quickly sent a text to his siblings letting them know he was on his way. He sighed and locked the door behind him. It would probably be a while before he could safely go back here.

***

**THE Groupchat TM**

**You** _sent today at 11:24_  
I might’ve done something stupid  
And now the Morgensterns definitely want me dead  
So I’ll be staying with you guys for a bit?  
I’m heading over rn

**Jace** _sent today at 11:29_  
Lmao sucks to be you  
Fr though stay safe and be careful

**Izzy** _sent today at 11:33_  
Call us if you need to, I’ll make sure to keep my phone close  
@Jace can u drop by the store for those wasabi flavoured chips

**Jace** _sent today at 11:34_  
I’m busy can’t you tell

**Izzy** _sent today at 11:34_  
You’re not you literally just started playing the piano when I sent that

**Jace** _sent today at 11:35_  
I was already busy practicing before I started playing  
Mentally studying the sheet music

**Izzy** _sent today at 11:37_  
Oh sure  
Fuck off

**Jace** _sent today at 11:38_  
<3

**You** _sent today at 11:47_  
@Izzy I’ll get you some I’m already out anyway  
Anything else I should get while I’m there?

**Jace** _sent today at 11:48_  
We’re almost out of hot sauce  
Btw Clary’s coming over later today so could you get some ice cream

**You** _sent today at 11:49_  
Sure, what kind  
???

**Jace** _sent today at 11:51_  
The mint chip one

**You** _sent today at 11:51_  
Ew

**Jace** _sent today at 11:52_  
Shut up Alec you voluntarily ask for grapefruit you have absolutely no room to talk

**You** _sent today at 12:03_  
Guys I think someone’s following me  
No fuck there’s two and they definitely are

**Izzy** _sent today at 12:04_  
Where are you we’ll head over right away  
Alec?  
ALEC????????

***

Alec winced at the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He’d barely left the store when he’d been pulled into the neighbouring alley and the two men had begun swinging at him. They were about his height, maybe a little taller, but they looked almost twice as heavy, so their punches had a lot more weight behind them. One of them had gotten him right in the face, hitting his nose, causing his eyes to water and blood to drip down his face. They’d clearly been instructed to beat him to a pulp and do as much damage as they could, because they were not holding back.

Alec managed to avoid the next few punches, but as he sidestepped a blow from one of the guys, the other managed to hit him in the stomach. He doubled over, gasping for breath, and the men wasted no time taking advantage of it and pushing him to the ground. He curled in on himself to minimise the damage as the men began kicking him wherever they could reach. His head hurt badly and his nose hadn’t stopped bleeding yet, the blood dripping down his chin and neck. Laying curled up in foetal position wasn’t going to do much for him in the long run, since neither man seemed like they were going to stop kicking him anytime soon. He gritted his teeth against the pain and desperately checked his pockets for his switchblade.

The second Alec’s fingers closed around the smooth metal handle he immediately felt a little more confident in his chances of making it out of that godforsaken alley alive. He was outnumbered and the two men were stronger than he was, but Alec was faster. He intercepted the next kick of one of the men, holding on to the guy’s leg and pulling himself up far enough so he could reach the guys thigh with his other hand and drive his switchblade in as far as he could, aiming for the femoral artery.

The man cursed loudly and stumbled back, clutching his right leg. The knife was still stuck in there, blood already staining the surrounding fabric. While the other guy stared at his friend in shock, Alec scrambled back onto his feet. Everything hurt but the adrenalin kept him standing regardless. He needed to get past the men if he wanted to get out of the alley. Hoping to use the momentary distraction to his advantage, Alec sprinted towards the exit, but he didn’t make it far.

The man he’d stabbed in the leg was laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, cursing and grunting like a wild animal, but the other guy was out for revenge. He wasn’t fast enough to get Alec as he ran past, but he did manage to grab onto the hood of his jumper, savagely yanking it back and chocking Alec in the process. Alec tried to get some air back into his lungs, but the man had put his arm around Alec’s throat and begun to squeeze. Alec’s back was to the man so he couldn’t see his face, only the dirty brick wall and a few dumpsters. _I’m not going to die here of all places_ , Alec thought to himself. He kicked the man in the shins and clawed at his hands and fingers, trying to pry them off his throat, but the guy held on. He was getting lightheaded, his lungs screaming for air, and the pathetic little grocery bag was swinging wildly from his arm.

Alec wasn’t sure if it was the lack of oxygen getting to him, but suddenly an idea popped into his head. He reached into the little plastic bag, a wild grin spreading across his face despite the dire circumstances he was in, and pulled out the bottle of hot sauce he’d just bought. With all the strength he had left, Alec squeezed the thing as hard as he could.

The man screamed as the sauce got into his eyes, and his grip on Alec’s neck immediately loosened. Alec freed himself and quickly jumped out of the guy’s reach. Temporarily blinded, the man had no idea where Alec had gone. He was wildly swinging around one arm in an attempt to find him and trying to wipe away the burning sauce with the other. Alec wasn’t going to wait around until the guy got his vision back. He hightailed it out of there, leaving the wailing of the two men far behind him.

The people on the street steered clear of him, giving him a wide berth and sometimes even crossing the street to avoid him. Alec supposed he couldn’t blame them; there was blood from his nose all the way down his neck, and his right hand was red from stabbing the first guy. The scowl on his face probably wasn’t helping either.

He was walking fast, almost running. He might’ve been able to get away from those guys, but he was just a student, not a trained fighter. If those guys got backup, he wouldn’t be able to make it out a second time. Besides, he just wanted to get to Jace and Izzy’s place as fast as possible, where he’d be able to take a shower and enjoy the rest of the day without having to worry about being followed and beaten up.

Alec sighed when he’d finally made it to his sibling’s apartment. He pressed the bell and leaned against the wall for a second. His entire body was aching and his throat positively _burned_. On top of that he’d also managed to lose his switchblade, which was probably still buried deep in that guy’s leg. At least, it would be if he was smart and had kept it there so he wouldn’t bleed out completely.

“Yes?” Jace’s voice sounded sharp and slightly distorted through the old speaker, but Alec could pick out the tense, worried edge to it.

“It’s Alec, I’m—” He hadn’t even finished speaking before he was interrupted by the harsh buzzing of the door opening, and Alec made his way inside.

Jace was waiting for him at the top of the stairs, his eyes widening as he took in Alec’s ragged appearance.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m _fine_ , Jace,” Alec said, running a hand through his hair, staring at it for a few seconds when it came back wet with blood. Well, shit. He’d take a shower and check the extent of his injuries then. He pushed the plastic bag with groceries into Jace’s hands. “You should put the ice cream in the freezer if you don’t want it to melt. I’m going to take a shower.”

“You have to call Izzy first; she’s gone out to find you.”

“You didn’t stop her?”

“On the contrary: I would’ve gone with her if we hadn’t needed someone to stay here in case you showed up.”

Alec stared at him for a few seconds before smiling a little and muttering ‘thanks’ as he walked past him. He wanted his siblings to stay safe, but it did feel good to know that they cared for him as well.

***

Alec was laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. The shower had been nice. He’d stared at the blood as it swirled down the drain, felt his muscles relax under the warm water, and thought of absolutely nothing. A multitude of cuts covered his body, stinging slightly in the heat. Bruises were beginning to blossom on his skin, red for now, but they’d turn to a deep purple soon enough. The ones around his throat were the worst by far, and he wasn’t looking forward to seeing and feeling the bright marks for the next week or so.

Izzy was curled up in an overstuffed armchair that seemed to swallow her whole. Her silky black hair was sectioned off into two long braids that were tied at the ends with crème coloured bows. They made her look deceptively soft for someone who had been prowling the streets ready to spill blood only a few hours ago. She was playing some version of Halo with Jace, who was sprawled out on his stomach across the fluffy carpet. The sound of dying aliens and his siblings’ bickering was oddly comforting.

Alec wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he picked up his phone and went to his contacts. Magnus’ number seemed to be taunting him through the screen. He should just delete it. Keep their meeting as a one-time thing and never contact him again. It was the safe option. He still had no idea what kind of illegal activities Magnus took part in, and it would just be better all around if he stayed clear of the handsome criminal with sharp grins and golden-green eyes. No matter how much his heart raced at Magnus’ teasing remarks, or how badly he wanted to know more about him. Texting him was an unnecessary risk that could only have dangerous consequences.

**You** _sent today at 15:17_  
You better not be putting weight on that ankle

Alec bit his lip. This was just plain stupid. He should delete the message before Magnus could read it and—

**Magnus ;)** _sent today at 15:18_  
Alexander, what a nice surprise  
Good to know you’re feeling well enough to text  
I’d say putting weight on my ankle is not nearly as bad as getting beaten up in an alley  
but that’s just my opinion

**You** _sent today at 15:20_  
As far as I could tell there were only three people in that alley  
And you weren’t one of them

**Magnus ;)** _sent today at 15:21_  
Word on the street travels fast  
Especially when you blind a Morgenstern with hot sauce  
Very innovative I must admit

**You** _sent today at 15:22_  
I didn’t really have many other options  
I was busy getting choked

**Magnus ;)** _sent today at 15:22_  
So you’re into that? Interesting

Suddenly Alec was very glad that this wasn’t a verbal conversation and Magnus couldn’t see his face, because he knew for a fact that there was no way he’d be able to hide the dark blush colouring his cheeks.

**You** _sent today at 15:23_  
NO  
NOT LIKE THAT

**Magnus ;)** _sent today at 15:23_  
Don’t worry  
I won’t judge ;)  
In fact, if you were to ask nicely…

Alec threw his phone somewhere on the couch where he couldn’t see it, earning confused looks from both Jace and Izzy, and buried his head in one of the pillows. Yes, this had indeed been a terrible idea and it had only taken a little more than five minutes for Alec to realise that. He clearly didn’t know how to handle the casual flirting that Magnus seemed to have perfected. It was going to take a while for the blush to fully fade from his skin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter was _not_ sponsored by mathmatical proofs or my finals for that matter. Luckily my brain has since recovered and we're here with a new chapter, enjoy!

Alec had been right about the bruises: they’d gone from red to blueish-purple, the contrast with his pale skin making them even more noticeable. His neck hurt whenever he moved his head even the slightest amount. He knew he should be thankful that this was the worst of his injuries, but it was hard to feel any shred of gratitude whenever he caught sight of his reflection and saw the various marks the two men had left on his body.

When Alec had left his apartment he’d hoped, naively perhaps, that the Morgensterns would’ve had other things to focus on instead of him. Whether that was true or not, they turned out to be perfectly capable of handling multiple things at once, which made going outside not nearly as safe as Alec had thought it would be. Looking back, he probably should’ve expected this. The Morgensterns wouldn’t have made people shadow him only to then let him off the hook after a few days. It was a dumb oversight on his part. Luckily the men that had attacked him had been the only ones following him that day, judging by the fact that neither a Morgenstern member nor a cryptic threatening message had reached him since he’d arrived at his siblings’ place. Still, he shouldn’t tempt fate by going outside and risk giving away the location of Jace and Izzy’s apartment. Staying indoors wasn’t much of an issue though, especially since Alec preferred that anyway. Between his books, siblings, and the various texts from a certain dark-haired criminal, he had more than enough to keep himself occupied.

The initial plan of cutting all contact with Magnus after he’d recovered had fallen apart the moment the bastard stole Alec’s phone and put in his number. Alec could’ve just deleted it and moved on, but instead he’d sent him a message because—why exactly? He couldn’t come up with a convincing reason that wasn’t the embarrassing truth: he liked having Magnus around. He’d enjoyed the sharp grins and quick wit and the banter that left him bright eyed and unable to keep a smile off his face, and now found he wasn’t ready to let that go just yet. It was honestly so stupid. He hated the way his heart sped up every time his phone lit up with a notification, hated how his face flushed with every teasing remark. He wasn’t dumb; he knew Magnus meant nothing with it. He remembered Cat saying _“no, that sounds exactly like something Magnus would do”_ after he’d mentioned Magnus had given him his number. He was probably like that with everyone, or just flirted for the fun of it, nothing serious.

He sighed and leaned back on his hands, trying to concentrate on the lecture he was watching. He was sitting on the carpet with his back against the couch and his legs stretched out in front of him. Jace and Izzy were sprawled out on the floor as well, discussing what their next target should be. Alec tried not to get involved, but couldn’t help asking if they could at least make sure the place had decent insurance that would cover the damages. Jace had rolled his eyes and groaned, but Alec saw him looking up different policies not much later. The setting sun took the last rays of daylight with it, but none of them could be bothered to stand up and turn on a lamp, so the room was steadily growing darker with the screen of Alec’s laptop as the only source of illumination.

Alec shook his head and again tried to focus on what his professor was saying, but he kept zoning out to the point where he had to go back a full fifteen minutes because he hadn’t registered a single word. He contemplated calling it a day or at least taking a break and picking back up after dinner. Jace and Izzy had eaten already but Alec had said he wanted to finish his course work first, not realising it would take so long. His eyes drifted to his phone and as if on command it lit up with a new message.

**Magnus ;)** _sent today at 19:48_  
I hope you’re not busy because I’m pretty sure I just broke a rib  
Actually that might be multiple ribs

Alec sat up straight, immediately shaken from his earlier distracted state and now fully alert. Broken ribs probably meant blunt force trauma. Possible internal bleeding? A rib fracture was extremely painful, but the more pressing concern was that it could cause a lung to collapse. He’d learned how to treat a pneumothorax, but those methods assumed he’d have hospital equipment to work with. Even though his siblings had a lot of peculiar stuff laying around, they didn’t own anything that could function as a CT-scan. He contemplated trying to sneak Magnus into the nearby hospital, but quickly realised that wasn’t going to work, especially not without any prior planning. He’d have to improvise and hope for the best, which wasn’t a solid plan _at all_. Alec felt vaguely sick. He shared his location and told Magnus to get a cab, anxiously biting on his nails.

**You** _sent today at 19:50_  
How’s breathing?

**Magnus ;)** _sent today at 19:50_  
Painful but not too bad  
Almost there

Alec frowned. Magnus hadn’t been too far from here then. His siblings lived in a pretty safe part of the city, and fights that resulted in serious injury were very uncommon. Then again, he himself had almost been killed in a nearby alley not too long ago. It seemed like there was more violence than usual, but maybe that had more to do with the kind of company Alec surrounded himself with than anything else. Befriending criminals tended to skew your perspective on such matters.

He checked the time, and then again. Only a few minutes had passed, but Alec’s stress levels were rising with every second. He hadn’t been this anxious about treating a patient in a long time. This was exactly why you weren’t supposed to treat people you knew personally, but Alec didn’t have anyone else he could refer his patients to. He practically flew towards the door the moment he heard the bell, calling out _‘I’ll get it!’_ to Jace and Izzy and ignoring their complaints as he ran down the stairs. He skidded to a halt mere centimetres away from the door, flinging it open and bracing himself for whatever he’d find on the other side.

Which turned out to be Magnus, casually standing there examining one of the multiple rings on his fingers. Alec’s eyes narrowed.

“You don’t have any broken ribs, do you?”

“Nope,” Magnus said, sounding far too pleased with himself, “but I do have take-out from Taki’s.” He held up the bag with food, grinning from ear to ear.

Alec slammed the door in his face.

Instead of apologising or at least showing a little remorse for his actions, Magnus had the fucking audacity to _laugh_. “Come on Alexander, I thought it was quite funny!”

“No, it wasn’t!” Alec yelled through the door. “I was worried sick; I thought your lung was about to collapse!” He was pissed and annoyed and mostly just very, _very_ relieved. His hands were shaking a little.

“My dear Alexander, I am terribly sorry for worrying your poor, anxious soul. However, this food isn’t going to stay warm forever, and I don’t feel like reheating it.”

Alec debated whether the satisfaction of walking back up the stairs was worth missing out on the food Magnus had brought, which smelled amazing and made him realise just how hungry he really was. He hesitated for a second, but then his resolve crumbled and he opened the door with a scowl. The way Magnus’ smile grew fractionally broader did kind of make up for the earlier scare.

He looked different from when Alec had last seen him. Back then the clothes he’d been wearing were well tailored but understated; dark and muted greys with black. It must’ve been a deliberate choice to aid with stealth, because his current style was a lot more eye-catching: a burgundy peacoat with elaborate golden buttons over dark dress pants, multiple rings on his fingers, laid in with precious jewels, and a constellation of different piercings decorating his ears. With all the expensive metals and gemstones, he looked like he’d crawled out of the vault of a jewellery store.

“That’s gonna be five hundred bucks for wasting my time,” Alec said, scowling.

“That’s a bit premature, don’t you think? Who says I’ll be wasting anyone’s time?” Magnus grinned. “I can make it worth your while,” he added with a smoky voice and a teasing glint in his eyes.

Much to his annoyance Alec could feel his cheeks flush. Talking to Magnus was like trying to navigate a minefield: every seemingly normal statement could blow up in your face, and you never knew when to expect it. “Uh,” Alec said, trying his best to string together a coherent sentence, “Do you want to come inside?”

“And be forced to deal with your pissy baby brother? No thanks. I’ve got a better idea,” Magnus said, moving past Alec and up the stairs, not checking to see whether Alec was actually following him or not.

By the time Alec had closed and locked the door Magnus was already halfway up the second flight of stairs, leaving Alec to take them two at a time in order to catch up. When they passed the fifth floor and Magnus continued to go up, Alec was pretty sure he knew where they were headed. 

“You can’t go up the roof, if that’s what you’re planning,” Alec called out. “It’s not exactly allowed, and they keep it locked most of the time anyway—” Alec cut off as he finally made it to the upper landing, resignedly taking in the sight of Magnus poking at the lock with what looked like a knife and a set of tweezers. “…Never mind, I should have known.”

“Yeah, actually,” Magnus said, still working on the lock, “You should’ve. Honestly Alexander, it’s not like you were ever unaware of my criminal background.” The lock clicked and Magnus kicked the door open, looking back at Alec with a grin. “Are you just gonna keep standing there, or...?”

Alec rolled his eyes and pushed past him. The roof was flat, surrounded on all sides by a stone ledge. People weren’t meant to go up here, so unlike some other buildings there were no outdoor tables or seats to use. Alec sat down on the ledge, his legs dangling in the open air, and looked at the street below. They were quite a few stories up, making everything on the ground look like a toddler-sized version of itself, with little lights and tiny cars and small people walking even smaller dogs. Alec might be over-careful in some things, but heights had never bothered him. He’d always been sure-footed and agile, even when he was younger, and didn’t fear falling or slipping off the roof. Being this high up, especially at night, seemingly removed from the rest of the world, just made him feel calm and collected. He sighed and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the city. Somewhere to his left Magnus had joined him on the ledge and was unpacking the food.

“Mm, smells great,” Alec mumbled, eyes still closed. “What’d you get?”

“Nasi goreng, gado gado, rendang…” Alec listened as Magnus rattled of the different kinds of dishes he’d brought. He really did have a good voice, Alec thought, smooth and deep and very nice to listen to. Something you could drown in, something that would fill your lungs, surround you in a hazy fog and pull you under.

“…Alexander?”

“Huh?” Alec opened his eyes and turned towards Magnus, who was looking at him with his lips pulled up in a small half-smile. It was a lot softer than his usual sly smirks or wicked grins; no sharp edges that you could cut yourself on. It looked almost… fond? He wasn’t sure; Magnus’s face was extremely hard to read. _I bet he’s absolutely terrifying at a poker table_ , Alec thought to himself. 

“I asked whether you’re allergic to peanuts or something. Can’t have you choke to death now when you fought so hard to survive the earlier attempt.”

“Imagine that: I survive nearly being strangled by two violent gang members, but I still suffocate, and the culprit turns out to be a secret peanut. It’d be such an anti-climax for the Morgensterns.” Magnus laughed at that, a warm and infectious sound that filled Alec with a feeling he couldn’t really place. “Most things are fine,” he added, answering Magnus’ earlier question, “it’s just pollen that makes me sneeze a lot.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I fucking hate spring.” He took a bite of the food, which tasted just as good as it smelled. The sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon, and now it was up to the millions of tiny city lights to illuminate the ocean of darkness that had surrounded them. It was a stunning view, but for some reason Alec found that his gaze kept coming back to the person sitting on the ledge next to him. Magnus was a sight to behold. It was like the darkness couldn’t touch him and the shadows slipped right off his shoulders. The rings on his fingers shone every time he moved his hands, the piercings in his ears glinting like little stars, and Alec could’ve sworn that his golden eyes glowed in the dark. If he’d been any good with oils or acrylics, Alec would’ve painted him sitting there, looking out over the city like he owned it.

The corner of Magnus’ mouth began to curl up, and with dawning horror Alec realised he’d been caught staring, and he hadn’t even been subtle about it. _At all._

“Enjoying the view?” Magnus said, and there it was: that familiar smirk so sharp it could draw blood. Alec was pinned in place and knew his cheeks were flushed bright red. He prayed it wouldn’t be noticeable in the dark. He needed to say something. Jace would’ve had a clever reply ready, but Alec’s mind was blank. He didn’t have Izzy’s way with words either, couldn’t string together sentences into something teasing and fun like she could do effortlessly. For fuck’s sake, he was a great writer, why couldn’t he do the same in a verbal conversation?

“Yeah, the uh, the lights are nice. I don’t go up here that often, so yeah, it’s nice to, uh… see.” Did he pull that off? Judging by the way Magnus raised one perfect eyebrow, he did not. Luckily, Magnus took mercy on him and didn’t push it.

“You really are a little angel when it comes to following the rules, aren’t you?”

“I routinely harbour criminals and fugitives,” Alec deadpanned.

“And yet you hesitated to go up to this roof because the door had a ‘no entry’ plaque on it. I bet you’ve never even cheated on a test before.”

“Did you miss the part where I mentioned I’m actively disobeying the law?”

“That’s beside the point—”

_“No it’s not—”_

“Have you, or have you not, cheated on a test?”

Alec hesitated. _He’ll know if lie, I’m terrible at it._ “Not really,” he began. Magnus was looking obnoxiously smug. _He’s insufferable._ “It’s not like I ever needed to,” Alec added a bit defensively.

“I bet. Straight A’s I suppose?”

“You live to rile me up, don’t you?”

“You’re fun to tease. Besides,” Magnus added with a wink, “you look good riled up.”

Alec spontaneously choked on his own spit, making Magnus laugh even harder. “I hate you,” he mumbled, but there was no real malice behind it.

“They say hate is just another form of love.”

“Oh my god, do you ever _shut up_ ,” Alec said, but he couldn’t keep himself from laughing as well. “At least I was ‘a joy to have in class’. _You_ must’ve been a nightmare in high school.”

“I had quite the reputation. There were even some new rules created because of me.”

“Like what?”

“Hold on, I have a list,” Magnus said, and pulled out his phone.

“You have _a list?_ ” Alec asked in disbelief. Magnus merely nodded.

“There we go,” he said as he found it, “this one’s my favourite.” He cleared his throat. _“Students are prohibited from organizing, advertising, playing, observing, or otherwise engaging in any form of blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, 5/7 card study/draw, Pai Gow, or poker during lunch period. Poker chips and cards are prohibited from school grounds except when required for specific, pre-approved activities or projects. Violation of this policy is subject to expulsion and referral to law enforcement for illegal gambling.”_

“I…” Alec shook his head, slightly stunned. “That’s an impressive amount of banned card games. How the Hell did you manage that?”

“I hosted multiple tournaments, which were rigged in my favour, obviously,” Magnus stated matter-of-factly. “The money was good, and every time they banned a game, I just switched to a different one.”

“Of course,” Alec said dryly, “I too dabbled in illegal gambling when I was a teenager, doesn’t everyone?”

“In my defence: I was _incredibly_ bored.”

“And the obvious response to that is criminal activity, instead of, I don’t know, getting a hobby or something?”

“I have many hobbies! Some of them just happen to be slightly illegal, but in that high-risk high-reward kind of way.”

“You’re smart enough to set up gambling tournaments and cheat your way out of school policies. You could use that for something… good, you know.”

“You see, Alexander, that’s where you and I differ. You care an awful lot about the people around you. I’m not plagued by the same sense of responsibility.”

“You can’t just… _not_ care about other people,” Alec sputtered.

“I seem to manage. Besides,” Magnus added, “I care about _some_ people. A select few, yes, but a few nonetheless.”

“You’d be a horrendous doctor.” Alec pushed his hair back and tried to imitate Magnus’ laid-back posture. “Yes,” he said, sounding as dramatic as possible, “of course I’ll help you, I’ll be right there. No, Sir, not you: you can choke.”

“An Oscar-worthy performance,” Magnus said, laughing. “Very accurate indeed. People from all over the world will know your name and tell stories about your achievements.”

“Starting with my continuous success in insulting and escaping from the Morgensterns.” Alec expected Magnus to chuckle or roll his eyes or something else along those lines, but instead he got no reaction at all. The smile had disappeared from his face and the longer the silence seemed to stretch out, the more uncomfortable Alec began to feel. Did he say something wrong? Magnus didn’t seem angry, but Alec usually had a hard time reading him so he couldn’t be sure.

“It’s not exactly a good thing, you know,” Magnus said. He twisted the ring on his middle-finger around, again and again. It was an engraved gold band with an emerald the size of a dime in the middle, surrounded by a smaller onyx stone on either side. It was gorgeously made, and though it was well taken care of, it looked old, like some kind of family heirloom. “The Morgensterns are proud people. They react strongly to a tarnished reputation.”

“I refused to work for them. I didn’t drag their name through the mud or,” Alec recalled with a wince, “set their bedroom on fire.”

“No, but people are talking about how the Morgensterns couldn’t control nor kill an untrained twenty-something, and that’s not a good look for them. In their eyes you disrespected them by refusing to work for them, and when you didn’t concede after their threat, they failed to actually follow through with it. The fact that you got away from them is seen by many as a sign of weakness, and the only way for the Morgensterns to quickly regain their status is to finish the job.”

“So, they’re still actively trying to kill me.”

“To be completely honest: they’re probably thinking of something worse than that. They now have stuff to make up for, and Jonathan isn’t known for being kind.” Magnus reached out and trailed a finger across the bruises on Alec’s neck. His hand was a gentle pressure on Alec’s skin, warm apart from the cooler metal of his rings. Alec swallowed thickly and looked away. He could still feel Magnus’ eyes on him, sharp and a little too intense for Alec to meet. His heart was pounding and there was no way Magnus couldn’t feel it as well.

“Be careful Alexander,” Magnus said softly, “I’d hate to lose you.”

Alec could only nod, unsure of what to say, if he should say anything at all. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable this time, more like the kind of quiet that surrounded you after heavy snowfall, smothering all unnecessary noise. Alec didn’t feel like breaking it, so he just sat there mutely, staring at the bustling streets that seemed a lot further away than usual. They stayed like that for a while, Alec couldn’t tell how long exactly. It could’ve been minutes or it could’ve been hours; both seemed plausible enough. It felt unreal, like something from a dream you only half remembered.

Alec didn’t notice Magnus get up, but at some point he realised he was alone up there on the roof. The wind had picked up and he wrapped his arms around himself to fight off the chill. _I should probably head down_ , he thought, but made no move to get up from the ledge. He watched the woman who lived across the street put food out for the stray cats. One by one the lights of the residential houses turned off, people shutting blinds and drawing curtains, heading off to bed. Alec pulled up his legs and rested his forehead against his knees. His head felt heavy, but he couldn’t focus on a single thought, everything blurring together like watercolours on wet paper.

When he finally got up his limbs were stiff and aching from the cold. He didn’t exactly remember getting back inside but found himself staring at the bathroom sink regardless. There was a little fleck of toothpaste on the right side and a dozen of Izzy’s bobby pins were scattered around the edge. Alec rubbed his eyes and walked to the living room, half stumbling and half falling onto the couch. His mind was a confusing mess of too many thoughts and emotions and exhaustion. He shut his eyes and let himself be dragged into unconsciousness. Maybe he’d be able to figure things out in the morning. Maybe. Hopefully.


End file.
